Operating unit for photographic composing apparatus and the like



Jun 25, 1946. HUEBNER 2,402,752

OPERATING UNIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSING APPARATUS AND THE LIKE Filed May 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i 5 m a Ii Hi INVENTOR ZZ'k /Z 6. ][mZ/7e ATTORNEY June 25, 1946. w. c. HUEBNER OPERATING UNIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSING APPARATUS AND THE LIKE Filed May 25 1944 ?atente cl June 25, 194% @PERA'EEQG UNHT FDR PHQTGGRAPHIC QCDWSENG APPARATUS AND THE LIKE William C, Kirchner, New York, N. Application May 25, 31944, Serial No. 537,236

This invention relates to improved. operating means or motors for the shutters and other ele ments of photographic composing apparatus of the nature disclosed in U. S. Fatent sarcasm, issued Nov. 21, 1939, to me, for Means for photographically composing type characters. Said pat= ent discloses an apparatus comprising a tent or set of printing or type characters including the lower and upper case letters, numerals, punctuation marks, slum, etc, necessary for use in. com posing printed or reading matter, such characters being disposecl in a circular group or series; ancioptical projecting means including shutters opera-hie for selectively or individually projecting images of the printing characters oi such iont for exposure in required relation on the sensitized or light sensitive surface of a film or other mechum which is movable for receiving thereon in required positions, the successively projected character images.

The motor or operating means oi this application are primarily intended to provide improvecl means for actuating the shutters oi such apparatus to admit and shut oil light for illumi mating the printing characmrs, whereby the pro= jecting lens or means of the apparatus project images or the characters individually or selective ly to the sensitized surface.

Une object of the invention is to provide prac tical and eficient motor of improved, novel cone struction for operating a, movable shutter or ele= ment of? such apparatus,

Uther objects oi the invention are to provide a shutter operating system which is cuiclr in ac tion, simple in operation and designed to perform during the long periods of worlr neerieol to corn pose type photographically, anti which, therefore, shoulrl be highly dependable in operation; also to provide means for quick and. accurate control of character exposures in connection with the relay character selecting system and the character justification system disclosed respectively in my copending applications for U. S. patents, Serial Numbers 533,920 and 533,921, rues May 1944; also to provide an electrically controlled pneumatic or fiuid-pressure-operatec motor unit which is of simple construction and of small, compact form, but is adapted to effect quick andpositive substantial movements oi an element by the simple operation of an electrical contact device or circuit closer; also to provide an electrically controlled, fluid-pressure-operatcd unit which is of a form adapting a large number of the units to be arranged closely together in a compact group or circular series suitable for opin (Claims. (on. -45) crating the shutters 1201' the circular series of type characters ci a photographic composing apparatus such as disclosed in said patent.

Further objects and advantages of the invert tion will appear from the following specification of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, and the novel features or the invention are set iorth in the appended claims.

in said drawings:

Fig. l. is a side elevation of a shutter operatine motor unit embodying my invention, showing in section, the supporting shutter board or portion of a photocomposing apparatus in which the wait is employed.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a portion oi? plate having the printing characters, over which the motor units are mounted.

Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal sectional olevation. of the unit and its support, showing shut ter closecl.

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of the motor louse.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal, sectional elevation, sim ilar to Fig. 3, of the unit, but showing the posi-= tion of the parts when the shutter is open.

L Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view oi the motor ase.

Mg. 7 is a face view showing a multiplicity of the motor units arranged stole by side in circular series on the shutter board or supporting of the photocomposing apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a transverse, sectional elevation there oi on line ii--t, Fig. 7.

The several operating motor units tor the era shutters are alike. Each unit comprises a slender, elongated. body or casing iii which is suitably secured, by screws it or otherwise. on a base plate it which is preferably of elongated, narrow and tapered form adapting a number of the units to be arranged radially side by side in a circular series and removably secureu, as by screws No or otherwise, on a supporting shutter board or member 83. in a suitably shaped chamber or cavity It in the underiace oi the base plate ii, a shutter plate it is guided to slide lengthwise of the base, said shutter plate being adapted in one position of the shutter, shown in Fig. 5, to uncover openings ll and it in the base plate I2 and shutter board, to permit the passage of light through said openings for illuminating one of the printing characters on an underlying character plate is, and in another.

position of the shutter, shown in Fig. 3, to close said openings to shut off the light. The character plate It may be either an opaque plate with transparent characters or a transparent plate with opaque characters.

20 indicates a piston, preferably in the form of a cylindrical rod, arranged to reciprocate in a bore or cylinder 2| extending lengthwise in the motor body It and connected to the shutter 15. as by a finger 22 projecting from the shank of the shutter plate into a hole in the piston, so that the shutter is reciprocated from its closed to its open position and vice verse. by the reciprocation of the piston. As shown, the cylinder bore 2| extends through the motor body and is closed at opposite ends by screw plugs 2ia having reduced inner ends forming stops to limit the opposite movements of the piston 20. In the motor body II is also provided a valve chamber 22, preferably in the form of a slender, cylindrical bore extending lengthwise through the motor body parallel with cylinder 2|, and shiftable endwise in this chamber is a slender valve rod or element 24 which extends out of the valve chamber at the opposite ends of the motor body. By inward and outward or opposite movements of this valve rod 24, air or fluid under pressure is alternately admitted to and exhausted from cylinder 2 I at opposite ends of the piston 20 for reciprocating the piston to open and close the shutter ii. The extent of the inward movement of the valve rod may be definitely fixed by engagement of a stop shoulder 24a on the valve rod with the adjacent end of the motor body ll.

The valve 24 is moved inwardly, or to the right,

as illustrated, preferably by an electromagnet which, as shown, comprises two electrical coils 25 on a supporting frame 20 which is suitably mounted on top of the motor body ill, with the coils 25 extending one above the other lengthwise of the body. These coils and their supporting frame are preferably of a width approximately no greater than the width of the motor body so as not to project laterally beyond the sides of the body. The armature 21 of this magnet is pivoted at its upper or outer end portion to the magnet frame 28, with its opposite end portion arranged to engage the adjacent projecting end of the valve rod 24 for moving the latter inwardly when the magnet is energized and attracts the armature. A suitable spring 2! preferably in the form of a spring strip secured at one end to the motor body, at the end thereof opposite to that at which the magnet armature is located, and having its free end bearing against the adjacent projecting end of the valve rod, acts, when the magnet is deenergized or its operating current broken, to shift the valve rod in the opposite direction, or to the left, as shown in the drawings. This movement of the valve rod may be limited, as by engagement of a stop flnger 28a on the magnet armature with the magnet frame 28.

In the position of the parts of the unit shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, in which the shutter is closed, the magnet is deenergized and the spring 24 holds the valve rod in its initial or left-hand position. In this position, a reduced portion 29 of the valve rod admits pressure fluid from a fluid pressure supply chamber 20 on the motor body through ports or passages Ii and 32 in the motor body to the right hand end of cylinder 2i. At the same time, a second reduced portion ll of the valve rod permits the fluid to exhaust from the opposite end of cylinder 2| through ports or passages I4, 25 and 36 in the motor body to an exhaust port 2! leading to the atmosphere, whereby piston 20 is moved to the left, as shown in the drawings and closes the shutter and holds 4 it closed. When the parts are in this position, with the shutter closed, which is the normal position of the parts, if the control magnet 25 is energized, by closing its operating circuit, the magnet cores will attract the armature 21, which will shift the valve'rod 24 in the opposite direction, against the action of spring 28, to the position shown in Fig. 5. In this position the reduced portion 28 of the valve rod will connect the passage 32 leading from the cylinder 2i with an exhaust port 38 to permit the pressure fluid to exhaust from this end of the cylinder and, at the same time, the reduced portion 33 of the valve rod will admit fluid from the pressure chamber 20 through ports 40, 4| and passages 35, 34 to the left hand end of cylinder 2|, whereby the piston 20 will be moved to the right, as shown in the drawings, and will open the shutter. The piston will be retained in this position and hold the shutter open as long as the magnet circuit remains closed and the magnet energized, and when the circuit is broken to deenergize the magnet, the valve spring 28 will return valve rod 24 to its initial position, whereby the piston will be returned to its initial position and close the shutter, as shown in Fig. 3.

The magnet circuit can be controlled by the operation of any suitable circuit closer or contact device, and since the valve rod 24 is small and light and has only a relatively short stroke, it can be operated by a relatively small magnet. On the other hand, this control valve thus operated by an electrical relay device controls the flow of pressure fluid for operating the shutter operating piston 20 which can have the relatively much longer stroke required for moving the shutter to fully open and close a light opening of substantial area. Also, the pressure of the actuating fluid can be whatever may be necessary to insure quick, positive opening and closing movements of the shutter.

As shown in Fig. 7, a multiplicity of the electrically controlled motor units are arranged radially side by side in a circular series so that one unit is provided for the shutter for each of the several type characters of the photocomposing apparatus, and as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the pressure chamber 30 for the supply of actuating pressure fluid to the several shutter-operating motors is formed by a continuous channel in a circular or annular ring or body 45 which extends over and is secured against the tops or outer faces of the bodies ill of the several motors with the ring chamber 30' communicating with the supply ports II and 40 of each motor through which the pressure chamber 30 supplies fluid to the valve chamber 28. Fluid under pressure may be supplied to the pressure chamber III, as by a supply pipe or line '48. In this way, pressure fluid from one supply source is delivered to the valve chambers of the whole series of motors, so that all of the motors may be operated by fluid under the same constant pressure, which pressure may be whatever is most appropriate, thus insuring uniform, positive action of all of the motors and shutters.

Only one of the type printing characters, as T, is shown in the drawing, see Fig. 2, in which the character is shown on the character plate l9 below the openings l1 and II in the overlying motor base and shutter board II, but it will be understood, as explained in said Patent No. 2,180,417, that different printing characters are provided in a circular series on the character plate, one in register with the light holes I1 and [8 for" each motor unit so as to be illuminated when its correlated shutter is opened by its operating motor.

It should be apparent, it is believed, that the shutter-operating motor units hereindisclosed are adapted for use in apparatus for photographically composing type characters covered by the before an electro-magnetic device operable for shifting mentioned Patent No. 2,180,417, in place of the shutter-operating solenoids or magnets shown in the patent, the magnets 25 of the units being controlled as explained in said patent, by finger keys, one of which operates a circuit closing switch for each magnet. However, as explained in said copending application, Ser. No. 533,920, the shutter-operating units are particularly de-= sirable for use with the relay character-selecting system for photocomposing apparatus of said application, the magnets of the units being controlled automatically by the circuitclosing means, disclosed in said application.

Wrthermore, while the motor units of this applicatlon have been herein specifically described as operating means for the light shutters of photocomposlng apparatus, they are also especially suitable for other purposes, as for instance, for operating the retracting and resetting devices for the stop elements of the variable step feed mech anism in the justification system of said other copending application, Serial No. 533,921.

I claim as my invention:

Lln a photographic composing apparatus having a series of characters, and correlated shutters controlling light for photographically producing images of said characters on a sensitized surface, the improved operating unit tor each of said shutters comprising a fluid-pressureactuated motor operatively connected to the shut= ter, and having a valve controlling the admission and exhaust of the actuating fluid for moving the movable member of said motor by fluid pres= sure alternately in opposite directions to'open and close said shutter, and an electromagnetic device operable for shifting said valve to control the operation of said motor.

2. In a photographic composing apparatus having a plurality of characters arranged in a circular series, and correlated shutters controlling light for photogra'phically producing images of said characters on a sensitized surface, the improved operating means for said shutters com prising fiuid-pressure-actuated motors arranged in a circular series each radially with respect to one of said characters and operatively connected to the shutter correlated with said character, and having a valve controlling the admission and exhaust of the actuating fluid for moving the movable member of said motor by fluid pressure alternately in opposite directions to open and close said shutter, and an electromagnetic device operable for shifting said valve to control the operation of said motor.

3. In a photographic composing apparatus having a series of characters, and means correlated with said characters for producing images thereof in different positions on a sensitized surface, the improved operating unit for a movable element of said apparatus comprising a fluid-pressureactuated motor with a movable member having a relatively. long stroke operatively connected to said element, a valve with a movable member having a relatively short stroke controlling the admission and exhaust of the actuating fluid for producing alternate opposite movements of said movable motor member and movable element, and

said valve to control the operation of said motor.

4. The improved shutter operating means for 'cular series, and correlated shutters controlling light for photographically producing images of said characters on a sensitized surface, the improved operating means for said shutters comprising fiuid-pressure-actuated motor units arranged in a circular series each radially with respect to one of said characters, each of said units comprising a radially elongated narrow motor body with a guide in which the correlated shutter is movable lengthwise of said body, a piston which is operatively connected to said shutter and is movable lengthwise in said body, avalve controlling the admission and exhaust of the actuating fluid for operating said motor to open and close said shutter, and an elongated narrow electromagnetic device mounted on said motor body lengthwise thereof and operable for shifting said valve to control the operation of said motor.

6. The improved shutter operating means for photographic composing apparatus according to claim 5, in which said motor units carrying said shutters are individually removably mounted in said apparatus.

7. in a photographic composing apparatus hav ing a series of characters, and correlated elements operable for producing images oi said characters on a sensitized surface, the improved operating means for said elements comprising elongated iiuid-pressure-actuated motor units arranged in a series lengthwise radially relatively to each other and each lengthwise of the direction of movement of the element actuated thereby, each of said units comprising a radially elongated narrow motor body and a piston, one of which. parts is movable in the direction of the length of the body and is operatively connected to the correlated element, a valve controlling the actuating fluid for reciprocating said movable motor part and element,

and an elongated narrow electromagnetic device arranged lengthwise of said motor body and operable for shifting said valve to control the operation of said motor.

8. In. a photographic composing apparatus having a circular series of characters, and correlated elements operable for producing images of said characters on a sensitized surface, the improved operating means for said elements comprising iluid-pressure-actuated motor units arranged in a circular series each radially with respect to one of said characters, each of said units comprising a radially elongated narrow motor body with a guide in which the correlated element is movable lengthwise of said body, a piston which is operatively connected to said element and is movable lengthwise in said body, a valve controlling the admission and exhaust of the actuating fluid for reciprocating said piston and connected element, and an elongated narrow electromagnetic device arranged lengthwise of said motor body for actuating said valve to control the operation of said motor.

9. In a photographic composing apparatus having a series of characters, and correlated shutters controlling light for photographically producing images of said characters on a sensitized surface, the improved sl'iutter-operating and mounting unit, comprising a relatively long narrow motor base movabiy supporting said shutter, a relatively long narrow. fluidpressure-actuated motor arranged lengthwise on said base and having a member movable in the direction of the length of said base and operatively connected to said shutter, a valve controlling the actuating fluid for reciprocating said movable motor member and shutter, and an elongated narrow electromagnetic device arranged lengthwise of said motor body 10 

